King of New York (1990)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Abel Ferrara

Writer (WGA):

Nicholas St. John (written by)

Release Date:

28 September 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Not everyone who runs a city is elected.

Plot:

A former drug lord returns from prison determined to wipe out all his competition and distribute the profits of his operations to New York's poor and lower classes in this stylish and ultra violent modern twist on Robin Hood.

Plot Keywords:

Drugs | Drug Lord | Hospital | New York | Chinatown

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Christopher Walken	...	Frank White
David Caruso	...	Dennis Gilley
Laurence Fishburne	...	Jimmy Jump (as Larry Fishburne)
Victor Argo	...	Roy Bishop
Wesley Snipes	...	Thomas Flanigan
Janet Julian	...	Jennifer
Joey Chin	...	Larry Wong
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Lance
Paul Calderon	...	Joey Dalesio
Steve Buscemi	...	Test Tube
Theresa Randle	...	Raye
Leonard L. Thomas	...	Blood (as Leonard Lee Thomas)
Roger Guenveur Smith	...	Tanner (as Roger Smith)
Carrie Nygren	...	Melanie
Ernest Abuba	...	King Tito

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

Italy | USA | UK

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Sweden:15 (TV rating) | Argentina:16 | South Korea:18 | Australia:R | France:-16 | Germany:18 | New Zealand:R16 (re-rating) (2004) | Norway:18 (video premiere) | UK:18 | USA:R (re-rating on appeal) | USA:X (original rating)

Filming Locations:

5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Caminito

Trivia:

The work of real-life friends David Caruso and Wesley Snipes in this film helped them get casted in, respectively, "NYPD Blue" (1993) and New Jack City (1991) each of which launched both actors into stardom.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Bishop is chasing Frank White in the subway, Bishop passes through three cars toward the front of the train, each with the same background extra (a white man in a blue shirt and glasses). Then when Frank White departs the subway after shooting Bishop, it's from the second car from the rear of the train.

Quotes:

Frank White: From now on, nothing goes down unless I'm involved. No blackjack no dope deals, no nothing. A nickel bag gets sold in the park, I want in. You guys got fat while everybody starved on the street. Now it's my turn.

Movie Connections:

References Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)

Soundtrack:

Piece of the Rock

To Frank he made it!

"From now on nothing goes down unless I'm involved. No blackjack, no dope deals, no nothing. A nickel bag gets sold in the park I want in!" And so it goes. Walken gives the performance of his career as Frank White, The King of New York. Walken is both captivating and convincing as the drug lord with a conscience and the ice cold killer who will stop at nothing to redeem himself. Released from prison, he is now "reformed" and ready to once again ascend to the very top of the drug pyramid with the help of his very loyal black street crew. Hit after hit of top mob bosses in the city brings him closer to his goal of building a new hospital but unfortunately draws the attention of a demented police squad determined to put Frank outta business...permanently. To just call these cops "dirty" would be a disservice to dirty cops. They are also crazy and not afraid to implement their own brand of justice. The cops are p***ed off that Frank is taking over and they can't do anything about it. So the detectives plan to take Frank out themselves. They are headed by a detective who cannot control them yet wants to see Frank go so badly that he doesn't have the heart to stop them. This leads to a showdown between Frank's dangerous black Mafia and the corrupt coppers. Frank responds to their attempts to foil him by putting out contracts on the police. I heard that when this was shown at the Sundance Film Festival critics expected to see something nice and cheery about New York based on the title alone. When they saw this movie they were shocked and never invited director Abel Ferrara back. This tells me two things that (1)this is very funny and I wish I had been there to see their reactions myself and (2)most critics have absolutely NO IDEA what cinema is all about and the same goes for viewers who expect all movies to have redeeming social values, teach a moral lesson, and give them that warm fuzzy feeling inside. King of New York had a great supporting cast, skillful direction, and a solid script. And watch for Frank Gio as mob boss Arty Clay he was awesome! It is a gangster classic that never waivers in its intentions and I will be highly anticipating the long awaited prequel to this film.